Sealer



March 22, 1 949. F. N. IRWIN, JR

SEALER Filed Aug. 21, 1947 INVENTOR.

arroelviys g L4 f W w 7 j@ M M 5 r H w Q M J Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALER Frank N. Irwin, Jr., South Miami, Fla.

Application August 21, 1947, Serial No. 769,981

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a sealer and which is a modified form of those sealers illustrated and described in my co-pehding applications Serial No. 590,486 filed April 26, 1945, now Patent No. 2,452,126, October 26, 1948, and Serial No. 610,542, filed August 13, 1945.

As it has been stated in my co-pending applications, it is becoming ever increasingly popular to dispense and sell varied commodities in wax or cellophane wrappers and packages particularly, but not specifically, food products. It has been found that great losses occur annually by such wrappers and packages becoming unsealed or being inadequately sealed causing spoilage and unpresentable articles of merchandise.

The present invention presents a much improved structure and arrangement which is adapted for installation in delivery trucks, as well as stores, warehouses, and the like, to provide a means for quickly and efiiciently rescaling such wrappers and packages to salvage the merchandisc and restore it to the proper condition.

The present invention permits a speedier and more simple rescaling operation than was heretofore possible, and presents a construction which makes the sealer readily installable on either a truck circuit or on a city circuit for the desired use thereof.

Still another improvement and advantage of the present invention lies in the simplicity and cheapness of manufacture of the sealer together with its inherent simple, inexpensive, and durable operation.

Still further improvements and advantages of this invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view taken from above the sealer.

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heating plate from above.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the sealer.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sealer base.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view from the bottom of the heater plate.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of this invention and in which like numerals and letters indicate similar parts throughout, A designates a substantially rectangular, or other suitably shaped, solid block of finished hardwood or the like which forms the base member for the 2 sealer. When the sealer is to be installed in a delivery truck each short end of the block is provided with a bracket I by which the block may be rigidly secured in place in any desired location within the vehicle.

In the upper face of the block A, and adjacent one end thereof, a channel 2 of rectangular cross section is provided transverse the block penetrating to a substantial depth thereinto and openil'lg outwardly through each side thereof.

Each longitudinal wall of the channel 2 is provided intermediate its height with a horizontal shoulder or ledge 3 longitudinal the channel length and extending outward transverse the channel for a spaced distance, and the block A is cut away vertically from the outer end of said shoulder through the top of said block increasing the transverse width of the channel therein.

The sealer proper comprises a heated plate which is carried within the block channel to lie flush with the top surface thereof, and which indirectly receives its heat from the electric circuit of the truck.

The heated sealer comprises a flat, thin metallic plate B of the same area as the aggregate shoulder and channel opening in the top surface of the block A, and the plate is provided with perpendicular projections 4 at opposed ends thereof of the same height as the depth of the channel 2 below the top surface of the block A, while the second pair of opposed sides of the plate are provided with perpendicular projections 5 of the same height as the depth of the shoulders 3 below the top surface of the block A.

A pilot light 6 and a switch I, of a toggle or push type, are mounted in one of the plate projections 4 in outward disposition therefrom.

The heatin element for the plate comprises an asbestos sheet 8 of the same area and configuration as that defined within the channel 2 above the shoulder 3. A pair of terminal posts 9 are secured in the asbestos sheet 3 and extend for a spaced distance thereabove where a mica sheet i0 is supported horizontally parallel thereto.

A bare, flat type high resistance, wire C is wrapped around the mica sheet I0 and is tied at each end thereof to one of the terminals 9. Additional wiring l I places the switch 1 in series with the heating wire, and Wiring !2 places the pilot light 6 across the terminals ll! in parallel to the heating wire and in series with the switch. The positive wire in this circuit is open from the source to the switch, while the negative lead i3 is taken from the second terminal in the series.

In assembling the sealer the asbestos sheet 8 is disposed at rest horizontally between the shoulders 3 within the channel with the heating wires upward. The plate B is then placed downward to close the top opening of the channel in a fiush condition with the top block surface with the short projections 5 resting on the shoulders 3 flush vertically with the outer edges of the channel above the shoulder enclosing said asbestos sheet, and with the greater projections 4 overlying the sides of the block enclosing the '"open ends of the channel 2.

Screws i l, or the like securing means, are placed through the lower extreme corners of the greater projections 4 to enter those portions of the block immediately below the shoulders 3 to rigidly secure the plate B in place.

It might be desirable to place a second mica sheet, not illustrated, between the heating wires C and the underside of the sealing plate B to prevent a possible short circuit therebetween. The mica would be a good insulator and is a good-conductor of heat thereby maintaining a high heating efficiency of the plate by the heat of the high resistance wires.

The positive and negative leads II and 13 are passed outward through a provided passage in the block to the short side of the block adjacent the channel 2, to be carried to the source of current.

When the sealer is installed in a delivery truck or the like, and the bracket I is grounded thereto, it is possible and probably desirable to ground the negative lead to the bracket and hence to the truck and make it necessary only to tie in the postive lead H to the truck battery, or into the battery circuit.

It is possible with the use of proper high resistance wiring to effect a heater of the type described which will attain its maximum temperature within a matter of seconds and thereby'em able a speedy and efiective apparatus available to seal or reseal wrappers or packages by placing the broken end on said plate until it is heated to a point of fusion and then sliding the end onto the flush remaining surface of the block to cause a pressure cooling of the fused portions of the wax or cellophane wrapper.

To operate the sealer, it is only necessary to close the main line switch. i, which is conveniently disposed on the side of the sealer, to bring current to the heating wire C. At the same time the pilot light will be energized thus indicating when the sealer is in operation.

Thus it may be seen that the present invention provides a speedy, efdcient, and compact unit which may be manufactured at a relatively low cost for use in bakeries, and the like for the initial :sealing of wax or cellophane wrappers, or .to be supplied to a fleet of delivery trucks to enable the carrier to reseal and repair a large quantity of broken wrappers in a minimum of time to conserve the products therein thereby efiecting a considerable savings of otherwise lost merchandise.

The invention is not limited to the specific uses which have been enumerated as it also can be used for packaging. As an example, in many large grocery stores cheese is sold by slicing it into small pieces which are wrapped and sealed in cellophane, or the like, with the price and weight inserted. The present sealer is highly suitable for use in this kind of packaging.

Among the advantages of the sealer are that it provides an extremely large sealing surface and that both hands of the operator are free to work and use for sealing whereas in all other types of sealers, so far as I know, one hand is required to hold the sealer and this slows down operation and production.

The sealer can be used with either alternating or direct electrical current and can be operated on high voltage currents without departing from the invention. Where alternating current is utilized two lead wires will be needed leading from the sealer to the plug utilized to plug in on the source of current supply. With direct electrical current one Wire can be a ground as is illustrated in the drawings.

Where higher voltages are utilized to obtain the maximum amount of heat for sealing purposes a rheostat control would preferably be provided. Such a rheostat would be of conventional nature to indicate, high, medium and low voltage supply and .a complete cut off of the current. This rheostat could be placed anywhere in the electric circuit as for instance between the lead wires of the sealer and the plug which connects the circuit with the source of current supply. The rheostat as a matter of fact could be substituted bythe toggle switch 1.

I wish it to be understood that I contemplate any modifications in size, shape, materials used, and wiring or general characteristics of the heating sealer set forth herein which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described and explained the construction and function of this invention what I desire to claim in Letters Patent is:

l. A device for sealing cellophane, wax wrapped packages or the like comprising, a block having one face cut away to form a recess extending throughout one dimension of the block and having open ends and an open top, a pair of'opposed horizontal shoulders formed in the longitudinal walls of said recess intermediate their depth, a .heating unit supported within said recess upon the horizontal shoulders, a metallic element including a fiat plate having dependin marginal edges, the marginal edges on one pair of opposed sides of the plate telescoping within the recess to be supported upon the shoulders and the marginal edges at the second pair of opposed sides closing the ends of the recess thus placing the flat plate in heat exchange relationship with the heating unit, means securing the metallic element to the block, brackets carried by the block providing means for securing it in a delivery truck or the like, connections from the heating unit to an electrical source, and manual selective controls 'for'the heating unit.

2. A device for sealing cellophane,'wax wrapped packages or the like comprising, a solid block having one face cutaway to form a recess transverse the block adjacent one end thereof said recess having open ends and an open top, a pair of horizontal shoulders formed in the opposed longitudinal walls of the recess intermediate their depth, an insulated sheet supported upon said shoulders within the recess, an electrical resistance heater unit supported upon the insulated sheet within the recess, a metallic element including a flat plate having depending marginal edges, the marginal edges on two opposed sides of the plate telescoping within the recess to be supported on said shoulders placing said flat plate in a flush position with the block and in heat exchange relationship with the heating unit, the marginal edges on the second pair of opposed sides of the plate enclosing the ends of the recess and being secured to the block, connectionsfrom the heating unit to a source of electricity external the block, and a selective control means for the unit tied to the connections and support from the block.

3. A device for sealing cellophane, wax wrapped packages or the like comprising, a solid rectangular block having the upper face cut awa to form a substantially rectangular recess transverse the block and adjacent one end thereof said recess being open at each end and at the top, a pair of horizontal shoulders formed in the opposed longitudinal walls of the recess intermediate their depth, an insulated sheet within said recess upon the horizontal shoulders, terminal posts secured in and supported above said insulated sheet, a second insulated sheet horizontally supported on the terminal posts, a high resistance electrical heating coil wound upon the upper insulated sheet and tied to the terminal posts, a metallic element including a flat plate having depending marginal edges, the marginal edges on the longitudinal sides of the plate telescoping within the recess and without the insulated plates to rest on said shoulders and dispose said fiat plate in a flush position with the block top and in heat exchange relationship with the electrical coil, the depending marginal edges at the ends of the plate enclosing the ends of the recess being secured to the block, electrical connections from the terminal posts to an external source, a control switch carried by one of the depending end edges of the plate and tied to the connections, and bracket means on the block for securing it in a delivery truck or the like.

4. A construction as defined in claim 3 wherein, a passageway is formed from within the recess through the adjacent end of the block forming communication for the electrical heating connections to an external source.

5. A construction as defined in claim 3 wherein, the flat metallic plate is of the same size and configuration as the open top of the formed recess.

6. A construction as defined in claim 2 wherein, an electric light is in the electrical connection between the heating unit and the source of electricity for visually indicating when the device is or is not in operation.

FRANK N. IRWIN, JR.

No references cited. 

